GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Hispanic families reeling from grief, anger and fear, over the loss of children and young adults to kidnapping and murder, pleaded with the Gwinnett County police chief Thursday night to do more to protect them.
Police had organized the community meeting to listen, and to promise action.
The chief, J.D. McClure, heard residents tell him that in their experience, police do not treat crimes against people in Hispanic communities as seriously as they should.
Residents lined up for their turn to speak directly to the chief and his command staff.
Francisca Mayen told the chief she is frightened, and her three children are frightened, that someone, possibly members of gangs, may come after them now.
Mayen’s teenaged son, Rodrigo Floriano Mayen, was found dead last month of a drug overdose.
The chief told her that detectives are trying to find out who sold Rodrigo the drugs, and they are investigating as if they are ready to charge the dealer with murdering Rodrigo, once they identify who it was.
“We are servants of this community,” McClure said. “We will do everything in our power to keep you safe.... We are all in this together.”
Rodrigo is one of four Hispanic youth in Gwinnett County in recent months who disappeared, and three of them, including him and Susana Morales, were later found dead.
Susana’s mother and sister said earlier Thursday that when she disappeared this past July near their Norcross home, police told them that there was nothing to be done in the first 48 hours, as if Susana might be a runaway.
Then, last month, Susana’s remains were found in some woods near Dacula, and police later arrested a now-former Doraville police officer, believing that he killed Susana the same night he kidnapped her in July.
But Chief McClure told everyone at the meeting Thursday night that detectives did not, and never do, sit back and do nothing when someone files a missing person report.
Instead, he said they begin investigating every missing person case immediately, regardless of whose child it is.
Mayen, wanting to believe police, told 11Alive she is still worried they are not treating crimes against minorities, including Hispanics, seriously.
“We call the police...sometimes they say okay, we don’t have a detective right now,” she said. “So we call, sometimes they no answer for us. So we need more protection for the kids.”
Mayen is hoping, she said, that after Thursday’s meeting Chief McClure will follow up on his promise that detectives will return her phone calls and keep her updated on their investigation into her son’s death.
Police said repeatedly they need everyone’s help trying to get ahead of violent crimes around the clock.
And officers are hoping that, at the meeting, they started building some bridges.